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Thursday, April 3, 2014

The Strike is Dunn! (Done)

Yes, that's right. I, Anthony B., was on strike from Wrigley Roster Jenga and I refused to blog until the Cubs won a game this season. But, thanks to an outstanding Cubs debut from Jason Hammel and the first signs of life from this crummy offense, I am proud to announce that I have crossed the picket line and will be back to posting as regularly scheduled...

Ok, you caught me; I wasn't really on strike. I just neglected to write anything last night because it didn't even cross my mind until late at night. Plus, while suffering through that 6 hour slogger last night, I really didn't feel inspired to write anything nice about the Cubs anyway.

But Tony, you might be asking, why did you spell Dunn that way in the title? Is this some sort of terrible, eye-rolling pun? You know Adam Dunn plays for that other Chicago team right?

Well, yes it is one of my patented, God-awful puns and I am well aware that Adam Dunn is a pale hose. However, Ron Dunn was definitely a Cub (and only a Cub in the majors) and his card has eluded me for some time now.

That is, until today.

There he is, in all his 70's porn-stache glory, none other than Ron Dunn. This SSPC release from 1975 has been my Moby Dick for a while; I have been able to obtain every other card from that set but this one.

Why? I don't know; Dunn himself was nothing special. From 1974-75, he held a spot on the Cubs bench as the Cubs transitioned from yearly contenders in the early 70s to cellar-dwellers by the mid to late 70s. His career batting avg from .241 over the course of 55 games; not good but not embarrassingly bad I suppose.

But, my hunt is finally over and I can finally add Dunn to my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection. Welcome to the club Ron, it's very exclusive!

This card was just one of a bunch of SSPC and TCMA cards that were stashed beneath the counter of my LCS, so of course I had to keep looking after that. I wasn't disappointed either.

Harry Craft - an alumnus of the infamous College of Coaches.

Since my All-Time Roster Collection also includes managers and the College of Coaches were all technically managers, Craft now occupies a spot in my binder.

For those who don't know, the College of Coaches were an experiment by Phillip Wrigley in the early 60's to try and jump-start his second-division ballclub; y'know, rather than pay attention to player development, opening his pocketbook or signing better players.

The concept was that rather than one manager, the Cubs would employ a group of several men who would rotate through the "Head Coach" position as well as every other spot on the staff. They would even rotate throughout the minor league system too.

Needless to say, it was mass chaos and abandoned much later than it should have been when Leo Durocher was hired in 1966.

Mr. Craft was able to parlay his time in College into a real managerial gig with the new Houston franchise in 1962, as pictured on this particular card. He only lasted 2 years, but he'll always be known as their first manager.

I always love to obtain a card featuring a defunct/re-named franchise as well. I've been fascinated with Browns, Senators, Colt .45's, etc. since I first started collecting; they add a little more history to my collection.

I have just one card in my collection for the Pilots. I didn't realize they had ever existed until probably about 5 years ago. By that point, I had already narrowed down my focus to my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection and, well, I just never sought them out.

They do have a fascinating (brief) history though. But, my I think the Senators will always be favorite franchise of the past. Not counting the Cubs, who until recently were stuck in the past themselves.